22 September 2011

Upside-Down Comfort

Lloyd-Jones--

If you feel that you are empty, if you feel you are nothing, if you feel you are poor and wretched and blind, if you hate your inclination to sin and have any suspicion of a feeling of self-loathing and hatred, you can take it from me that you have eternal life, for no one ever experiences such things until the life of God comes into his or her soul.

--Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Life in God: Studies in 1 John (Crossway 1995), 109; quoted in Tony Sargent, Gems from Martyn Lloyd-Jones: An Anthology of Quotations from 'the Doctor' (Paternoster 2007), 113

2 comments:

I normally like Dr. Lloyd-Jones, but I'm not sure I agree with this quote entirely. I believe that there are better evidences of the presence of the Holy Spirit, such as the fruit of the spirit.

I am not sure we should be encouraging people to feel empty, nothing, poor, wretched, blind, to loathe or hate the self. We need to remind ourselves of who we really are: sons and daughters of God, and to spend more time looking at Jesus.

It should go without saying that this is not the only thing Lloyd-Jones has to say on this subject. He would agree entirely with the other realities such as the ones you mention. You can't expect him to say everything every time he says something.

The Gospel. Period.

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A human being. Living with my dear wife and four delightful offspring in Wheaton, Illinois. Senior VP for Bible Publishing at Crossway. More messed up than this blog will let on. I live (2 Cor 5:15) to delight in (Ps 37:4) and display (1 Tim 1:16) the glory (Rom 15:8-9) of the grace (Eph 1:6) of God in Christ (Col 1:15). Saddle up.

My Portion

"The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "therefore I will hope in him." The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth. Let him sit alone in silence when it is laid on him; let him put his mouth in the dust--there may yet be hope; let him give his cheek to the one who strikes, and let him be filled with insults. For the LORD will not cast off forever, but, though he cause grief, he will have compassion according to the abundance of his steadfast love; for he does not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men.--Lamentations 3:24-32

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